Leads to morn
by TapesAndRecords
Summary: "I'd get you the moon." 'Tis the season.


**note: **Happy Holidays everyone! Another year gone, huh? Crazy stuff. Anyway, you all almost didn't get this, but as I was watching _It's A Wonderful Life_ tonight with my family I got hit with inspiration for something non-angsty (the other Christmas fic I wrote yesterday is horrifically sad tbh) so I wrote this and finished it and, uh, here I am, nearing 3am on Christmas morning, posting it. It's pure fluff really, so I hope you guys enjoy it. The movie they watch is, for those unaware, _It's A Wonderful Life.  
_Oh, and for those reading Life-ning, an update should be coming shortly.

**disclaimer:** Yabba yabba. It's Christmas.

* * *

_a thrill of hope _  
_the weary world rejoices_

* * *

She's wearing that blue coat he loves so much when she opens the door. It's bright and eye-catching and seems, somehow, so very _her_, that he's sure he'll never tire of seeing her in it.  
Flashing him a grin, she spins back round.

"I just need to get my hat."

He leans on the doorjamb, arms folded.  
"Oh, I don't mind, there's no hurry."

She pulls a thick woolen cap over her wild curls, then grabs her bag.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?"

He smirks, taking her hand in his as she locks the door.  
"That'd ruin the surprise."

* * *

"C'mon, you're not telling me the ninja got no balance?"

She hits his arm when he winks at her, but moves to pick up her skates anyway. There's a frown on her face, however, and her seeming reluctance makes him hesitate.

"Ziva, if you don't want to, we can do something else… I mean, I thought..."

She's right in front of him, suddenly, concern etched on her features along with a small smile.  
"Tony, you worry too much."

She hands him his own skates before patting his cheek and sitting on a free bench to pull the boots on. Sending her a crooked grin, he sits by her side, arm nudging hers as he ties the laces.

"And my balance is excellent, thank you." she says, as an afterthought, and nudges him just a little harder.

* * *

"Tony!"

It's the fourth time she's shrieked his name in ten minutes, and her flailing limbs and high-pitched cry only succeed in making him laugh more than he already was.

"You are an idiot, DiNozzo."

He'd be offended were it not for the smile she's sending him as they slow in their spinning. His sudden turns catch her off-guard every time and it's something he delights in all too much, he thinks.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

He spins them round once more, and her uncharacteristic squeals combined with his rather loud chuckling seem to attract attention. Heads turn, the frowns of many mothers following, but he honestly couldn't care less. Ziva's in his arms, care-free and as beautiful as she always is. Snowflakes are caught in the waves of her hair and within the weave of her hat and, as ever, she takes his breath away.

He turns his heels and slows their spinning until they draw to a halt, stood in the middle of the rink, encircled by people.

"Hey."

She grins rather intimately, looking up at him through her eyelashes. The world fades away and the moment closes in, like it always seems to do with her.

"Hey."

"I love you, y'know."

She leans in and kisses him, and people stare once more.

* * *

The familiar tolling bell sounds and his head perks up, hands still furiously wiping away granules of sugar from over his hands.

"You started it without me?!"  
He gives the popcorn a final sprinkling, then scoops up the bowl.

"You said you were ready!"

"I said_ almost_ ready, not ready; they're two completely different things!"

Beer also in hand, he races through to the living room and dives onto the couch. He'd be proud at his not spilling a single kernel, but it's a feat he's achieved many times before.

"Now, I _am_ ready."

She grabs a handful of popcorn, takes a swig of his beer, and nestles down into his side.  
Were she anyone else, he'd be frustrated. Instead, he merely wraps his arm round her and pulls her closer.

* * *

"I'd get you the moon." he says absent-mindedly, words muffled by her hair.

She chuckles against him.  
"Yeah?"

"Yeah. If you wanted it, that is."

"Oh no, Tony, I am quite fine." she pats his chest lightly. "I have you, after all."

Her words are perhaps corny, but they make him smile regardless, and he presses a kiss to her lips. As James Stewart carries on, though, he wonders just how tricky it would be to pull the moon down.

* * *

There are tears rolling down her cheeks by the time the credits appear.

"Every single year! Unbelievable!" he exclaims, laughing at her tearful state.

"It is a very emotional ending!"

"I know, honey, I know, but each year you say you won't cry, and each year you do."  
He's teasing her, of course, and he knows she knows it. Brushing his lips by her damp cheek, he turns off the loud menu music before it starts to grate on him.

She sends him a tearful smile when he leans back.

"Merry Christmas, Tony."

"Yeah, Merry Christmas, Ziva."

* * *

_Happy holidays, one and all._


End file.
